Joe Appelbaum

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, the New York State Assembly passed an aftercare bill which prohibits the slaughter of racehorses and racehorse breeding stock, requires that racehorses be microchipped, and provides tax incentives for Thoroughbred aftercare donations on tax returns. The bill will now be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is expected to sign it. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure the prohibition of the inhumane slaughter of retired racehorses and breeding stock. The legislation also increases access to funding for appropriate care of retired racehorses by ensuring...

The upcoming 48-day spring/summer meeting at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, will offer the richest overnight purse structure in the history of the New York Racing Association, the organization said Thursday. Open-company maiden allowance races will feature purse money of $90,000, while first-, second- and third-level allowance races will be worth $92,000, $94,000 and $96,000, respectively. New York maiden special weight races will carry prize money of $75,000, while horses bred in the Empire State will benefit from an $85,000 purse for non-winners of two/ $45,000 claiming and an...

Joe Appelbaum has been re-elected to a second term as president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association in election results announced Tuesday by the organization. Incumbent Owner/Directors Tina Bond, Rob Masiello and Aron Yagoda were re-elected as well, with Jon Green and Dan Collins filling the two additional Owner/Director spots. Incumbent Trainer/Directors Leah Gyarmati, John Kimmel, Linda Rice and Richard Schosberg will be joined by Pat Kelly, who most recently served as an alternate to the board. "Thank you to all of New York's owners and trainers who took...

With impressive gains in handle and with the reopening of the casino at Aqueduct, NYRA will increase purses starting Oct. 18 and for the remainder of the Belmont meet. Like many tracks, NYRA was forced to make purse cuts due to COVID-19 related problems that reduced revenue sources. Rather than an across-the-board purse increase, NYRA will put more money into certain categories, in particular maiden races. The purse for an open maiden special weight race will go from $63,000 to $80,000. New York-bred maidens will see a purse increase from...

The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) announced the candidates Thursday for its 2020 President and Board of Directors. The NYTHA Board is comprised of five Owner Directors, five Trainer/Trainer-Owner Directors and the President. Candidates are as follows: PRESIDENT: - Joe Appelbaum (incumbent) - Chad Summers OWNER/DIRECTOR: - Tina Marie Bond - Daniel Collins - Peter Dorsman - Jonathan Green - Jeanne A. Liddy - Robert Masiello - Edward J. Messina, Ph. D. - Aron S. Yagoda TRAINER/TRAINER-OWNER/DIRECTOR: - Leah Gyarmati - Patrick J. Kelly - John Kimmel, V.M.D. -...

The juvenile sales calendar, interrupted by the coronavirus epidemic, is scheduled to resume in three weeks with the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-year-Olds in Training and the OBS board met Monday to discuss the implementation of safety protocols ahead of the four-day auction. OBS held the only 2-year-olds in training sale of the year so far in March, just as the pandemic was starting to cause mass cancellations. Precautions for the Spring Sale will continue on from protocols put in place prior to the March sale, according...

While still awaiting word from Gov. Andrew Cuomo regarding when it can resume racing, NYRA has submitted a comprehensive plan to the state and the New York Gaming Commission outlining the steps it is taking to maintain a safe environment for those who must be on hand to conduct racing. The timetable for a resumption of racing at Belmont Park may also hinge on a region-by-region approach to opening the state announced by Cuomo Monday. The Governor's office has divided the state into 10 regions and said each one can...

In this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum joined the crew as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about when we can expect to see racing again in New York, the efforts to help Belmont backstretch workers, his personal betting strategies and much more. "The situation on the backstretch has improved considerably, not unlike the rest of the situation in New York City," Appelbaum said. "In Nassau County, we're functioning. We have close to 1,500 horses there. They're training six days a...

In this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, NYTHA president Joe Appelbaum joined the crew as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about when we can expect to see racing again in New York, the efforts to help Belmont backstretch workers, his personal betting strategies and much more.

Martin Zapata, who spent the last two years working as a groom for trainer Tom Morley, died Tuesday due to complications from COVID-19, according to NYTHA. The 63-year-old Panama native tested positive Mar. 24 and was hospitalized Mar. 26. "Martin was a beloved member of our team for the past two years who always greeted you at the door with a huge smile. He'll be sorely missed by all those in the New York racing community and further afield as well as his family in Panama," said Morley, who started...

Sunday training at Belmont Park will cease starting Mar. 29, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has confirmed. The cutback to a six-day weekly training schedule comes in the wake of Thursday's news that a Belmont backstretch worker tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The worker and his roommate, who live in a Belmont backstretch dormitory, have been in isolation since Mar. 13. That coronavirus diagnosis led to the indefinite suspension of live racing at Aqueduct Racetrack as of Mar. 20. NYRA had phased out stabling at Aqueduct at the...

Will Alempijevic (pronounced Al-em-pee-ya-vich) will join the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association effective Feb. 12, 2020, as the new Executive Director, NYTHA announced Tuesday. Alempijevic replaces Andy Belfiore, who served in the role for four years before leaving to take the post as the national THA's Project Manager for the Mid-Atlantic Strategic Plan to Reduce Equine Fatalities last October. A member of the New York Racing Association team since November of 2015, Alempijevic was the Director of Business Development before being promoted to Director of Guest Services. He most recently...